Maybe it's not about the happy ending.Maybe it's about the story.

Drew Forrester is a regular guy from Boston, MA with an unusual job. His work keeps him from getting close to anyone, unwilling to give his trust, especially after a terrible betrayal when he left home at nineteen to pursue his dream.He throws himself into his work and his favorite way of releasing his frustrations, Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. He resorts to short term hook-ups, figuring he'll be alone forever.When a gorgeous redhead literally falls into his life, he decides that it's fate and pursues her relentlessly. But this girl is seriously damaged, and keeps secrets that he doesn't understand and can't get her to reveal. Her lack of trust and seeming paranoia about letting anyone get close to her leads Drew to keep some secrets of his own.This is a companion novel to Relatively Famous, told from Drew's point of view.

★✽★

Syd & Drew go jogging

Sydney is going to think I’ve lost my mind. She saw me in my dress-down, fan repelling clothes at the café and in my sparring shorts the first day we met. But the last two times I’ve seen her were in private, so I was able to dress like a normal person.I texted her yesterday from The Hub before the game started to see if she wanted to get together today. She offered for me to join her on her run. That means going out in public, which in turn, means an ugly disguise. Since I can’t wear my wig in front of her, I grab my oldest, baggiest gym clothes and throw them on, praying that no one will recognize me.The doorman, Richard I think, apparently knew I was coming over because he opened the door as I approached and told me to head straight to the elevator bank. I’m once again thankful that her lobby staff are so discreet.I knock on 8A and when Sydney opens the door and takes a look at me, her reaction is purely comical. Her hand flies up to her mouth and she lets out a little bark of laughter. Her blue eyes are shining with amusement.“Interesting choice of clothing,” she says, struggling not to laugh in my face.Sydney looks delectable in her tight black Lycra pants and thermal running jacket, I’m unable to stop staring at her ass as she turns to let me inside.I look like a complete bum and she called me on it, so I feel like I have to defend myself a little, even though she’s completely right. “What? I think I look like a guy who wants to work out.”She eyes my tattered B.C. sweatshirt and Patriots skullcap and smiles, bumping me gently with her hip. “You look like you crawled out of a sewer and stole from the lost and found at a college student center.”God she’s adorable. I wrap my arms around her tiny waist and drag her over to me, rubbing my two day old stubble all over her face and neck. “You love it!” I say as she squeals and struggles to free herself from my torture.She’s laughing uncontrollably now. “Stop! It tickles! Stop it!” I laugh with her and reluctantly let her go.Her body in her super tight clothing is dangerous, not only can I not keep my hands off of her, but I start to get aroused, which makes me flirtatious. “Well, we can’t all be as sexy as you when we exercise.”Her gaze darkens at my words and her voice gets husky, letting me know that my charms have worked on her. “Trust me, you are sexy. It’s just hidden under all of that hideous clothing.” She smiles, continuing, “You know this is New York don’t you? Some might take offense at all of that Boston paraphernalia.”Once again, she says something completely unexpected and I love it. “Am I wearing my human-repelling costume again, Miss Allen?”“Why I believe you are, Mr. Forrester. But once again, it’s not going to keep me away. Now, let’s hit the pavement.”Sydney leads me on what she says is her normal jogging route. She says she normally does anywhere from six to eight miles each time she runs. She’s in phenomenal shape. I admit that I wasn’t sure if she would actually run that far in this cold weather but she does.We go all the way from the West Village to Battery Park and back up. It’s easier than sparring with Bobby or Damien, but it’s infinitely more difficult because I have Sydney’s Lycra-clad ass inches from me and I can’t do anything about it. More than once I think about yanking off her bright pink ear warmer, tying her hands together with it, and fucking her until she passes out. Not my finest moment, but I am glad I wore baggy sweats.We walk the final half mile back to her building and enter her loft covered in sweat. The two of us stagger to the kitchen and Sydney hands me a cold bottle of water from her fridge, watching while I immediately down the entire liter. She’s drinking hers when I turn to her and say one word, “Shower?” Maybe she was thinking about sex the entire run too, because she doesn’t hesitate to hold out her hand and lead me to her room.Sydney goes straight into the bathroom and starts the shower while I peel off my damp clothes and leave them in a heap on the floor. When I step into the en suite, she’s already in the huge enclosure, her toned body partially obscured by the layer of steam that’s formed on the glass. I stand there gaping for a minute, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so aroused in my life.“Mind if I join you?” I open the door and press against her, kissing her inviting mouth. She eagerly lets me in, wrapping her arms around my neck and rubbing against me, quickly driving me to the edge of my self- control.I place my hands on her waist and yank her hips into me, fitting my cock so it slides between her legs, but not inside her. Sydney lets me push her back until she’s flat against the tile wall, the hot water raining down on us as we devour each other, nipping and tasting each other’s mouths while our tongues twist together in ecstasy. The entire time I keep sliding my wet cock back and forth against her slit, devouring every moan that she makes as the friction increases her pleasure.Needing more contact, I reach down and grab behind each knee, pulling her legs up and holding her against the wall by cupping her tight ass. I continue grinding my dick between us, up and down her folds as she whimpers into my mouth. Before I can protest, her hand snakes down and guides me inside her. I gasp at the feel of her bare skin clenching around my cock. It’s too much to take.“Sydney, I can’t last like this. Are you on birth control?” I ask, barely able to sound out the words as the thrilling surge of pleasure nearly blinds me.“No, just pull out. I need you Drew,” she moans and bucks against me again, nearly incapacitating my ability to think. Fuck, she’s going to kill me. What if I can’t pull out in time? The only thing that stops me is my overwhelming respect for Sydney. My head drops over her shoulder and I press my forehead into the wall so I can regain control of myself.“Sydney, I can’t do that to you.” I slide out of her and reach over to turn off the water. “Keep your legs around me.” I carry her out of the shower and put her on the counter next to the sink. “Wait here,” I demand, staring at her until I’m sure she won’t move. Sydney watches me with heavy lidded eyes as I hurry and pull a condom out of my discarded pants and rush back into the bathroom as I’m rolling it on.“Hurry Drew,” Sydney begs as she digs her nails into my ass and pulls me back between her legs only happy once I sink back inside her tight heat.She’s immediately groaning and writhing and it quickly spirals into something too intense for me to handle. The sensation of our wet skin slapping together as I fuck her, sends sparks flying across my field of vision. Any remaining shred of rational thought that I had left, leaves my body and once again my dick is now in complete control. I grip her hips hard enough to leave bruises thrust violently into her, pinning her against the counter.Once I pick up the pace, Syd starts convulsing and screaming, pulling my hair fiercely as she comes apart. Shit, she must have wanted this as badly as I did because she is fucking gorgeous as she comes. Trying to hold her slippery body in place on top of the counter takes a lot of effort but it’s worth it. I continue diving in and out of her tight pussy, the unbelievable rightness of it overwhelming me. Hot and wet and gripping, I can detect every movement she makes.“Hold on to me Sydney!” I yell as I keep driving in and out, slamming in deeper each time. She tightens her arms around my neck and moans into my mouth when I lift her up and fuck her hard until I come forcefully into her, sparks of pleasure shoot down my spine and through my balls until I’m completely empty. Spent and panting, I lay my forehead on her shoulder, still holding her up against the sink.Sydney loosens her tight grip on my neck and slowly lowers her feet to the floor. Still recovering, all I can do is stand there, leaning against her as I breath heavily into her wet, disheveled hair. She runs her mouth gently up and down my neck and shoulder until I finally have the energy to look up. Overcome with emotion, I kiss her gently and pull her close, wrapping my arms around her back.“How about we shower again, using soap this time?” she asks, then she laughs and squirms out of my arms so she can turn the water back on.Fuck, I’m totally in love with her.

I grew up in New England and currently live outside Atlanta, GA with my husband, two kids, a French Bulldog and a pug.I'm a full-time procrastinator and a part-time everything else.I love the Red Sox, chocolate, and traveling.When I'm not writing, I'm dealing drugs legally as a pharmacist.